Back To Life
by SouthernBumpkin
Summary: AU. Post 4x17, Dan begins attending Columbia with Nate, Blair, and Serena after the release of Inside. There's no Louis or Royal Wedding.
1. Prologue

**I was very disatisfied with the GG post 4x17. So I've been waiting for GG to be over so I can write this. This will be my last fic for this specific fandom and I consider it my baby. **

**So in this story, there's no Louis, this prologue is post 4x17 and the first chapter begins at season 5. Dan transfers to Columbia and rooms with Nate while Blair and Serena room with each other in Columbia. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Gossip Girl or it's characters.**

* * *

He's standing in the Pink Party drinking his champagne, surrounded by Upper East Side's finest. He can feel Chuck's eyes on him, but his eyes remain on Blair and her pink dress. She hasn't answered any of his text or calls and he's come to the realization she didn't feel anything. She was most likely embarassed that her lips touched a Humphrey.

"Stop eye fucking me Chuck," Dan says with a smirk

A smug grin appears on Chuck's lips as he reaches Dan. "Don't you think you're a little out of your league here."

Dan's brows rise. "I have no idea what you're talking about." He turns to face Chuck

"I know about the kiss Humphrey. I'm surprised she didn't throw up in your mouth."

"What do you want," Dan asks

"I see the way your looking at her and I'm here to warn you that it's not gonna happen," Chuck tells him.

Dan's lips curve slightly. "I'm not gonna lie, It's quite flattering to find you threatened by me."

Chuck laughs. "Humphrey, I'm just warning you. You don't know what your in for. Everything is a game between me and Blair. You're just a pawn that makes the sex better."

"So you're telling me that you need me to improve your performance in bed," Dan inquires tilting his head while squinting his eyes.

Chuck rolls his eyes before taking a sip from the champagne. "She told me the kiss with you made her think of me. She wants to be with me."

Dan frowns and his face grows serious. "Listen man, she's been ignoring me since the kiss. I think it's obvious I don't stand a chance here so stop being paranoid"

Dan shakes his head and walks off leaving a gloating Chuck.

For the rest of the party, Serena's cousin Charlie flirts with him, making him feel uncomfortable, while Blair continues to avoid him and for once, he doesn't mind.

Vanessa's gone, his sister's been exiled, and he has no idea where Nate is. It's times like these he really does feel like lonely boy. He's carrying these feelings that are only growing and he doesn't know how to kill them. Alcohol is the solution to all of his problems.

**XOXOXOXO**

Blair's in tears, but it's something she's become accustomed to. Her cheek stings and her driver looks worried. She snaps at him and he begins driving to the address she just barked out.

She reaches Brooklyn and scrunches her nose as she puts a heel on the sidewalk. It's still taking her time to get adjusted to Brooklyn. As she ascends up the staircase, she notices the moldy walls and thinks she made a mistake coming here. She should've just called Dan over.

_Knock Knock_

Her heart begins pounding faster and faster in anticipation of him opening the door. The door opens and she finds Dan standing in front of her. He's wearing a grey T-shirt and black pants. She watches him take her in a slight frown forms on his lips.

"Blair?...What happened," Dan asks softly

"Can I come in?"

Dan steps away, giving her space to enter. She sits on his couch, but her eyes remain on him.

He leaves for the bathroom and swiftly comes back with a first aid kit. He kneels in front of her and wipes the blood off with a wet cottonball. There's a small smile on his lips and it causes her heart to flutter even though she's emotionally drained.

"Your hair looks nice," Dan says as he gently begins to rub alcohol on her cut, causing her to wince. "I like it curly."

"Thanks," Blair replies softly meeting his eyes. She notices him reach for a large bandage and her eyebrows tilt upwards. "What are you doing with that?"

Dan tilts his head and knits his brows together. "I have to cover your cut up with something, or else it's going it could get infected." She huffs and puffs, but he continues on, ignoring her bratty response.

After Dan's finished, he puts the first aid kit on the coffee table and sits next to her on the couch, with his knees pointing towards her. "So, are you going to tell me what happened or am I just going to have to tickle it out of you." Blair smiles and shakes her head. Dan nudges her lightly with his shoulder. "Come on, you can tell me."

"I went to the Empire to tell Chuck he doesn't have my heart anymore," Blair tells him reaching for his hand. She watches him swallow nervously. "He didn't take it well."

"What did Chuck exactly do," Dan questions placing his hand on her cheek. Her eyes shut in response to him stroking her cheek with his thumb. "Tell me Blair."

She tells him about her night at the Empire. From how Chuck proclaimed she was his, to him punching the window leading her to recieve cut. Dan seems upset and she explains to him Chuck was drunk, hoping he doesn't do something stupid.

"And this is all because you didn't want to be with him," Dan inquires

"No, it's because I told him I wanted to be with you," Blair says reaching for his cheek. "You're the type of guy I've always wanted and never had."

"But you haven't spoken to me since we kissed."

"I was scared... I still am," Blair whispers nervously, tilts her head slightly, and leans in closer to his lips. "So what do you say?"

A slight frown appears on his lips and she takes it as a bad sign.

Dan pulls away and stands up, running his hand through his hair. "I don't think I can be with you."

Her heart begins to feel like it's falling and it's not landing anytime soon. "Why?... Do you still have feelings for Serena," she asks, afraid of his answer.

"No," Dan protests instantly. "I've grown out of Serena, but I don't think you've grown out of Chuck."

"I don't have feelings for him."

He's standing in front of her and his eyes are making her feel completly bare.

"I don't believe you."

She's lying to him and he can read right through. She doesn't want to have these feelings for Chuck, but she does.

Blair stands up and reaches for both of his hands. "Is it bad to have feelings for two different people."

"You blamed my sister for something Chuck did and she ended up being exiled because of it. Not only that, Serena's your best friend and you're going after her first love ," Dan tells her

Blair brow's crinkle and she releases Dan's hands. "Are you trying to say I'm too awful for you?"

"No, I'm saying there's a lot riding here, and I don't want end up going through all of these obstacles if you still have feelings for Chuck."

She narrows her eyes at Dan. "I think I've gotten the message loud and clear Humphrey."

She spins around and heads for the door before Dan grabs her wrist. She turns her head to look back and square him a glare that would scare him off back in high school.

Dan smiles lightly. "I'm not letting you be alone tonight."

She tries to pull her hand away but he doesn't let got. Instead, he tugs her closer until their chest's meet. There's something warm and safe being enveloped in his arms. She tilts her chin up to meet his eyes and he gives her the most adoring look she's ever seen.

Blair sighs. "Fine, what do you propose we do."

"Come to bed with me," Dan says softly, leading Blair to cock an eyebrow. He tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, gently. "I want you tell me everything."

Her lip curves slightly as she's meeting his eyes.

They spend the rest of the night, lying side by side, facing each other on his bed. She pours her heart out, even telling him about being traded for a hotel. Surprisingly, he doesn't judge, just listens. Like her, he's changed so much from high school.

He looks to be studying her face, looking at her like a writer would. "Do you want to get over Chuck?"

She sighs, deciding to be honest with him. "No, I just want to be with someone I love more than Chuck."

He reaches for her cheek. "One day, you're going to wake up, and smilings going to become natural. I think that's when you'll know that you found the guy you've been looking for."

A small smile appears on her face and she scoots closer to where their noses are practically touching. "You know...When we began spending time together, I started smiling again."

Dan smirks. "You're welcome."

She laughs and then they spend the rest of the bantering over movies and books, trying to forget the sting she feels on her cheek.

**XOXOXOXO**

Dan wakes up and notices the empty spot next to him. He finds a note by his bedside table from Blair.

_You were right, I need to find myself. I'll see you in September._

Dan's lips curve into a light smile after he reads the note.

**So that was the prologue. This story will be based on season 5 of Gossip Girl, but it will be more about everyones college experience together at Columbia. Also, Vanessa still steals Dan's book and publishes it, which will be the plot of the first chapter. The other thing I didn't mention in this chapter is that no one knows Dan and Blair have been spending time together. It's only Chuck who knows. **


	2. Chapter 1

**The reviews were a pleasure to read and I'm grateful for the follows. I know from reading the prologue, it's really difficult to grasp the premise of this story. Even I have difficulty explaining the where this story is going. I think it's just my way of fixing season 5 and all the characters that have been tarnished, so I hope you enjoy. **

* * *

The sun's shining bright and winter seems to be ages away. After spending the summer in the Hampton's with Eric, trying not to think of a certain brunette, he finally steps into his loft with his long curly hair, making his head feel a lot hotter than it should.

He drops his duffel bag on the side of the couch and pulls out his laptop to check his college email. Glancing across his laptop screen, he finds his inbox is filled with professors introducing themselves and attaching the course syllabus, messages from clubs of Columbia, and loads of informational emails from Columbia's staff, but his eyes fall on the email from Blair.

_My Dearest Humphrey,_

_I filled out your course schedule, and even managed to get us to share three courses together for this particular semester. Don't smile yet, we still have loads of work to do. First being getting you a haircut. I'm sensing you haven't cut your hair since I left, and that needs to be dealt with ASAP. Second, we need to buy you a planner, seeing as how unorganized you are. And don't you dare sigh at me, I've seen your room..._

Dan stops reading from there, realizing it would take him thirty minutes just to finish reading her email.

The door to Jenny's room opens. "Hey," Jenny says with a warm smile, leaning against the doorframe of her doorway.

Dan raises his eyes and grins from the couch. "So I'm guessing your internship at Waldorf Designs has ended."

"You guess right," Jenny replies heading towards the kitchen. "It ended a couple of days ago actually." Jenny pulls out a box of cereal from the cabinet. "What about you, how's the whole book thing going?"

Dan rubs the back of his neck nervously and scrunches his brows. "Yeah...it's getting released tomorrow, but um...I'm having a little gathering today to tell everyone about it."

Jenny chuckles as she pours milk into a bowl, shaking her head. "Good luck with that."

**XOXOXOXO**

"Hurry up Dorota," Blair snaps ascending up her staircase

"Coming Miss Blair," Dorota says, breathing heavily and carrying Blair's luggage up the staircase.

Blair steps into her room and sighs happily. She missed her room, her internship at Vogue was superb to say the least, but New York was where her heart lied.

"Dorota!"

Dorota drops her luggage in Blair's room, with her chest heaving in and out. "Yes Miss Blair."

"I need you to place my clothes in the closet, AND...Make sure everything is organized with season and color," Blair says lifting her chin high and proud.

"But Miss Blair, you going to be living in dorm, no reason to sort clothes now when moving," Dorota reasons.

"Don't be silly Dorota, there's no closet space in our dorm room. You will need to bring me my set of clothing for the day from this closet every morning," Blair explains glossing over her phone. She begins to wave Dorota off with her hand. "Go on, I'm not paying you to saunter around."

Dorota heads towards Blair's closet, mumbling under her breath. Blair chooses to ignore her maid's ungratefulness and continues to scan through her phone. She received a text from Dan, asking her to come to Lily's while there were ten missed calls from Chuck.

Serena pokes her head in from Blair's doorway. "B!"

Blair beams at the sight of Serena. She hurries over to Serena and envelopes her in a hug. "Oh S, I missed you...You must tell me about California."

Serena pulls away with a bright smile, looking slightly shy. "I will, but first I have to leave for my mother's."

A crinkle forms in-between Blair's brows. "You to?"

Serena steps back and tilts her head. "Dan texted you as well?" Blair nods hesitantly leading Serena to look at her curiously. "When did Dan start texting you?"

A wave of panic settles within Blair. "What can I say, it must be something important."

Serena eyes her suspiciously up and down, looking as though she's trying to read through her, and then finally gives Blair a slight nod. "Okay... let's go."

**XOXOXOXO**

Lily, Rufus, Nate, Chuck, and Eric are sitting in the living room, waiting for him, while he's in the kitchen, drinking a glass of scotch, trying to ease his nerves.

"Humphrey," Chuck states, standing by the doorway in his pink bow tie and gray suit. Chuck takes a few steps forward and pours himself some scotch. "I read the book."

"What'd you think," Dan asks, curious to hear Chuck's opinion

Chuck glances over presses the glass on his lips, taking in the alcohol easily down his throat before saying, "You're in love with her."

"Is it that obvious?"

Chuck shakes his head. "You weren't supposed to go there." Chuck's brows wrinkle in frustration. "She's Serena's best friend, it's wrong...It's supposed to be you and Serena, me and Blair."

Dan swallows nervously and stares down at his drink. "I can't help how I feel."

They hear the elevator ring and their eyes meet for a split second before they head towards the foyer.

Blair steps into the foyer feeling anxious. She hasn't seen any of these people for three months and the thought of Chuck makes her stomach feel queasy. She can still picture that night in the Empire and recall how scared she was.

Before they reach the living room, her eyes catch the sight of Dan walking into the foyer with Chuck. She fights against her heart warming and presses her lips tightly in displeasure. His hair is awful, too unruly for her standards. The last time she was with him, he was dressing better, but he seems to have fallen back to his old habits with the hideous pink and blue plaid button down he's wearing.

Dan's eyes go to Serena. "Serena… thanks for coming." His eyes then shift to Blair. "Blair… I'm surprised you came."

Blair steps closer, towards Dan, ignoring his greeting and narrows her eyes at his hair. "What is this?" She pokes at his hair with her index finger. "It's hideous," Blair says, scrunching her nose as she continues to pick at his little curls with her fingers.

Dan swats her hand away, looking slightly annoyed. "Can you stop?...It's just hair."

Blair presses her lips tightly and frowns. "Fine." She tilts her chin high and walks past him, hearing him sigh.

With the couches being filled, she stands in the back and watches Dan rip the tape off a large cardboard box, arms crossed. As he begins speaking and rambling on about some book, her attention goes to his body structure. He doesn't have the shoulders for T-shirts and she makes a mental note to make sure he understands that. She's going to have to rearrange his closet, which will take some time, maybe months, but she knows if she's persistent, he'll give in.

It seems Humphrey is trying to tell them something important so she begins paying attention again.

"Anyways, I've only taken parts of your character, it's not how I really view you guys," Dan explains before handing copies of novel out.

"So you're the one who wrote that novel Gossip Girl's been babbling about," Blair says presenting a fake sweet smile. "Well I don't think we should be too worried...Good writing is what sells."

"And there goes your copy," Dan replies placing the novel back in the box

Blair scurries over the cardboard box on the coffee table. "Don't be silly Humphrey, I need a good laugh." She grabs his novel from his box, shoots him a glare and goes back to her spot.

After Dan hands everyone their copies, he begins answering their questions, leading her to leave the living room and enter the dining room to have a moment to herself. Sitting on the chair, she slides her finger on the spine of the novel, feeling each letter of _Inside_ on the tip of her index finger.

It's difficult to fight her smile. She's happy for him becoming a published author, but there's something unsettling about having to read his book. She wasn't the greatest person in the world, especially to him and can't help but expect the worst.

She opens the book and her eyes go on the summary. She rolls her eyes when seeing the picture of him with his Muppet hair.

"Hey."

Her eyes leave Dan's novel to find Chuck standing by the entrance of the dining room.

Chuck takes a few steps closer before stopping and sliding one hand in his pocket. "You've been ignoring my calls."

She places Dan's novel on the dark wooden dining table. "Surely you can understand why."

"I'm sorry." Chuck's eyes shut in disappointment. "It wasn't supposed to go that far."

She meets his eyes. "But it did."

"It did." Chuck nods in agreement, avoiding her eyes and looking hurt. "Are you two dating?"

"No...We've barley spoken with each other all summer," Blair tells him, trying not to sound disappointed.

His lips curve slightly. "I might be reading this wrong, but it seems like you don't want to be with him."

Blair rolls her eyes at the sight of Chuck's smile. "I went to him that night." Blair looks down and begins fiddling with the hem of her dress. "And he turned me down...He thought I needed to spend the summer clearing my head."

Chuck's brows knit together. "He turned you down?" She nods, leading Chuck to clench his jaw and take a sharp intake of air through his nostrils. "As much as it pains me to say... He really is a good guy Blair."

"I know," Blair says quietly

Chuck nods, turns his heels and starts heading towards the foyer, but he stops abruptly, and turns his head to the side, with a smirk. "His book's really good…You may want to have a set of candles out when you read it." Chuck then looks straight ahead and leaves the dining room, leaving her confused.

**XOXOXOXO**

Dan watches Chuck leave the dining room and head towards the foyer, seeing it as an opportunity to have a moment alone with Blair.

He steps into the dining room and finds Blair with her head down, smiling, and reading the inside cover of his novel. She raises her head and her smile fades, but her lips remain slightly curved, giving him a seductive look. She stands up and steps closer with her eyes meeting his. He's having trouble breathing from the way she's looking at him. It's something he's going to have to get used to.

"How was your summer," Blair asks

"Boring...Yours?"

"Hectic to say the least."

Dan's lips curve into a smile, leading her to heart jump. "It wouldn't be you otherwise." She bites her bottom lip, trying to hold back a smile.

"So…This book," Blair says, trying to ignore the look he's giving her. "Should I be calling my lawyers?"

His back bends forward to lean in closer, to where he can feel the heat coming from her skin. "Well, I do recall Dylan calling Claire 95 pounds of girly evil at some point in the book."

She arches a brow. "What else does he say?"

Dan pulls away from her breathing space, but his eyes remain on hers. "You'll just have to read it to find out."

A smile tugs her lips. "I should go then."

"Already?"

"Yes Humphrey, I have a book to read." She grabs his novel from the dining table, and stands on her tiptoes to press a kiss on his cheek before leaving the dining room.

He watches her leave, waiting in anticipation for her reaction to his love letter.

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**Review's always make my day :)**


	3. Chapter 2

**As always, thanks for the reviews and I apologize for taking so much time updating this story. Blair's POV is always difficult to write and I feel like there are times she believes things that just aren't true. This chapter might be a tad boring because I still have to fix the issues between every character before they can start attending college.**

**I realized the Hamilton House wasn't an actual club in Columbia so I decided to include a real secret society from Columbia called St. Anthony's Hall. All the things I've written about it in this chapter are either facts or based on actual rumors.**

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Dan's eyes flutter open to the knocking coming from his front door. He glances over his shoulder to his alarm clock and finds it to be 4:45 A.M. His heart races to the thought of a spirited brunette standing on the other side, waiting for him after reading his book.

Once he opens the door, he's surprised to see Serena standing in front of him with jeans and a gold half sleeve top. Her blue eyes are cold, jaws clenched, and her fingers are curled into tiny fists.

_He's in trouble_

He raises his brows as his eyes are fighting to stay open. "I take it you finished the book."

Serena brushes past his shoulder and tosses _Inside_ on his coffee table. She turns her heels to face him, folding her arms across her chest and gives him an accusatory look.

"You had to of known I wasn't going to be happy with it," Serena says

Dan shrugs his shoulders, not meeting her eyes. "It wasn't meant to be published."

"That may be true, but you still wrote it."

He tilts his head and scrunches his eyes. "Everything I wrote is true…Those things happened."

"It's not about writing things I've done in the past, it's about the way you see me," Serena explains

Serena can be very oblivious at times. One minute, she chooses him over Nate, then the next thing he knows, she's kissing some professor in front of him, being callous towards his feelings.

"We've been drifting apart," Dan tells her and frowns, feeling saddened at the thought. "You would've noticed if you paid more attention."

Her eyes soften. "I just thought you were the one person who saw me differently."

"I did, before….But then the Ben thing happened," Dan explains

Serena eyes harden. "Right, because I was obviously the only girl on your mind then."

Dan knew her anger towards him had more to do with Blair being the protagonist of the novel. They're very competitive with each other and her being here has nothing to do with their relationship. It has more to do with his feelings for Blair.

"When were you going to tell me you slept with her," Serena asks stepping closer and knitting her brows together.

"I never slept with her. It's more of a pipe dream than anything else," Dan answers shrugging his shoulders.

Serena tilts her head down, looking to be in deep thought. "How did this even happen? This is just so random," Serena says to herself. Serena then looks up and meets his eyes. "It's always going to be her and Chuck."

"Of course you would think that, you're one of the biggest Chuck supporters," Dan tells Serena as he lets his anger get the best of him. "God forbid she actually dates someone who treats her right."

"Are you implying that I'm a bad friend," Serena asks as she gives him a look of incredulity

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Dan says, not backing down

Serena shakes her head and smiles. "Wow…You really are delusional."

Dan huffs out a breath of disbelief, shakes his head, and looks at his door's direction. "I think should you leave."

Serena gives him a glare before leaving. He shuts the door at the instant she steps outside the loft, not giving her a chance to have the last word.

"And so it begins."

A startled Dan glances over to find Jenny in her PJ's, holding a smirk. Dan rolls his eyes and goes back to his bedroom.

**XOXOXOXO**

Blair memorizes the chapter word by word, laying in her tub, and surrounding herself with scented candles. She tastes blood from constantly biting her bottom lip as she read's his tortuous words. Images of Dan having his way with her on the staircase begin flashing through her mind. There's a much needed release from the fire burning up inside of her. She slides her hand to her core, thinking of him sucking and biting on her neck, marking her as his own. Cries fall from her mouth as she slides her two fingers in and out, while massaging her breast with her free hand. She wants him. She wants him exactly like the book. In the part where he's thrusting into her on the staircase with her back pressing against the sharp edges of the steps. It's the words he whispers in her ear that drive her to pure bliss.

She climaxes, crying out, and breathing heavily. She sighs happily and leaves the tub. Finally reaching her bed, a small satisfied smile forms on Blair's lips as her eyes close and she thinks about a curly haired boy from Brooklyn.

A few hours pass and she's awoken from her deep slumber with sounds of Dorota calling out her name.

"What Dorota," Blair snaps, hoisting herself up to square a glare at Dorota.

"Miss Blair… Lowly boy downstairs looking spiffy as ever in long sleeve. His hair remind me of wild man in jungle." Dorota begins fanning herself with her hand.

"Get a hold of yourself Dorota….Now, I need you to distract him, maybe offer him breakfast," Blair says tersely.

She can't walk downstairs looking like this, her hair's a mess and she feels the bags under her eyes from getting only a few hours of sleep. Makeup and eyeliner are much needed at the moment. She hates how fast her heart's beating and how the thought of him on her bed is causing her hands to tremble.

**XOXOXOXO**

Dan steps into Blair's foyer, waiting in anticipation for her reaction to his novel.

Eventually, he hears a door open from upstairs and looks up to see Blair walking down the staircase with her hair tied in a bun. She's covered in a kimono and her bare legs are inviting him to stare. Her brown eyes meet his, looking unreadable.

There's a slight curve to her lips once their eyes meet. "I'm surprised to see you here. I thought you would've been hiding out after everyone began reading your book."

"I couldn't go into hiding until I was graced with the opportunity of listening to your critique," Dan says with a smile as she reaches the foyer.

Blair bites her lower plump lip. "Breakfast?" She reaches out for his hand

Dan nods and takes her hand. She leads him up to the dining room with her small soft fingers intertwined with his. His eyes close once the scent of her flowery perfume consumes his nostrils. They enter the dining room and he pulls up a chair, with her following and sitting beside him.

Blair tucks her curled fingers under her chin and bats her eyelashes innocently at him, slightly tilting her head to the side. "So Daniel…Is that how you see me?"

Dan smirks. "I might have exaggerated a little."

Her lips turn into a pout, leading him to move his hand to her cheek, and lean in close enough to where their lips are practically touching.

"Would it be okay if I kissed you," Dan asks softly, feeling the weight of her head on his hand.

Blair leans in closer, staring at his lips. "I would hurt you if you didn't."

He smiles before leaning in and pressing a soft kiss on her lips, causing her eyes to shut. He pulls her closer and a satisfied moan rings in his ear. The kiss deepens and he feels her hand gripping on his hair tightly.

They eventually pull away with her biting on his lower lip, staring into his eyes.

"Was it everything you imagined," Dan asks holding a smile and leaning his forehead against hers.

Her eyes shift downwards. "It was good enough for me to consider allowing it again," Blair answers and he chuckles. Her heart flutters to the feeling of his forehead vibrating against hers.

He pulls his forehead away as once a frown forms on Blair's lips. "What's wrong?"

"I have to leave soon," Blair tells him, causing him to match her frown. "Have you heard of St. Anthony's Hall?"

"Unfortunately," Dan replies, not liking where this is going. "It's a secret society."

"It's the most exclusive club in Columbia," Blair adds

Dan tilts his head playfully. "I thought you said the Hamilton House was the most exclusive?"

"Yes…But that was before I had a chance of getting into St. Anthony's."

"You do remember the whole Juliet fiasco right?"

Blair rolls her eyes. "This is different."

Dan's lips curve slightly. "Of course it is." He then licks his lips. "I heard that they made a candidate buy a plane ticket to China and then had him burn it. Not to mention the fact that they charge 10,000 dollars per semester."

Blair massages her forehead with her hand tiredly. "Please don't go on one of your monologues about value."

Dan puts his hands up. "Alright, I won't," he gives in with a smile. "But the least you could do is let me in on the little scheme you're planning in your head."

Blair's eyes light up and her lips begin to curve into a devious smile. It sometime surprises him how well he knows Blair.

**XOXOXOXO**

Blair lets Humphrey in on her plan to attend a garden party being held in New York's Botanical Garden, a party in which Caitlyn Daniels is attending. Her sources have told her Caitlyn is one of the head members of St. Anthony's hall and the party is an opportunity for her to get on Caitlyn's good side. Unfortunately, Humphrey's been acting strange since the mention of Caitlyn's name and she's beginning to become very suspicious.

Before she can confront him on his odd behavior, it's essential she gets him properly dressed.

"Is it really important for us to match," Dan asks with exasperation reeking out of his voice, standing behind Blair as she looks over a counter with folded ties in the Ermenegildo Zegna store.

"With questions like that, I anticipate doom for this Humphrey Waldorf relationship," Blair says and squares a glare at Dan before her eyes fall back on the ties.

Blair has one arm crossed under breast and her free hand is on her cheek with her fingers slowly tapping as she looks to be in deep thought, scanning over the ties.

"Hmmm…." Blair continues to tap her fingers against her cheek. "I don't think we'll go with a tie, instead I think we should have you wear white." Blair glances over to Dan.

Dan's eyes fill with hope. "Great."

She protests, but to her dismay, Humphrey doesn't listen and pays for the clothes she had chosen for him. She thinks he must've gotten a good deal with his publisher, which in her eyes is a positive. The three most important things in a life partner are hygiene, salary, and sexual chemistry.

Like a gentleman, he opens the door for her. She rewards him with a pleased smile and leaves the store, with him following. She thinks it's an opportune time to bring up Caitlyn's name again to get to the bottom of this mystery.

"Dan," she calls out sweetly leading him to curve his lips and furrow his brows in amusement as he glances over, walking side by side. "Is there something you're not telling me about Caitlyn?"

Dan sighs in defeat. "Yeah…I know her pretty well actually." Dan smiles a little, thinking about her, which causes her to narrow her eyes at him. "She lived near Cece's during the summer."

"And the problem is….," Blair asks shaking her head a little and having difficulty understanding where he's going with this.

"I think she digs me." Dan's eyes squint, brows rise, looking slightly fearful of her reaction.

"Just because a girl talks to you doesn't mean she likes you," Blair says rolling her eyes

"Trust me, she wants some Humphrey," Dan tells her with a smug grin

She laughs, not caring if she bruises Humphrey's ego, leading him to frown.

Why would Caitlyn Daniels like Humphrey? His lips are tolerable, pleasantly soft and leave her breathless, wanting more, but that's only her. He's good looking for someone who's poor, but looks can only get a person so far. Unlike Caitlyn, Humphrey's lucky she isn't a snob. Of course, Humphrey has a kind and gentle side to him that makes him more appealing to her, but it took him four years to open up and show her that side to him. Before, he was just a brainless judgmental boy who followed Serena's every footstep.

Blair presses her lips and curves them upward. "Well, I suppose I'll just have to see it with my own eyes then…Now hurry along Humphrey, we have to get there before the buffet start."

She begins speeding up, expecting Humphrey to follow.

"The first rule to attending a party is be late, but not late enough to miss out on the food. It's considered disrespectful and typically only occurs when the couple loses track of time with sex."

"I'll keep that in mind," Dan says dryly

**XOXOXOXO**

Dan's skin's burning from the sun and Fall can't come soon enough. It takes over an hour, due to traffic, but they eventually reach the garden party with Blair looking perfect in her white spaghetti strapped knee high dress.

His eyes shift around, looking for Caitlyn, but only sees unrecognizable guests of the party wearing light colors and holding champagne flutes. They began searching through the white tents but they're interrupted when they run into Nate.

"Dan," Nate says coldly.

"What's with you?"

Blair tugs on his arm. "Humphrey…We don't have time for this."

She pulls him out of the tent and they continue to scavenge around the garden party. The search is finally over when they find Caitlyn surrounded by a circle of adults and looking to be in deep discussion with them. Caitlyn's very pretty. She has very light brown hair that falls to her shoulders, a nose most women would die for, and green eyes. Her body's considered more model framed then curvy.

Their eyes meet in the midst of her laughter, leaving her mouth to remain open. Her lips instantly curve slightly and she excuses herself before heading towards his direction.

"Humphrey... Do you have any last minute advice," Blair asks, standing by his side arm in arm

"Don't be yourself," Dan murmurs, knowing it's too late for Blair to respond.

Caitlyn approaches them with a light smile, tucking in a strand of her hair behind her hair, eyes on Dan.

"Dan…I didn't expect to see you here," Caitlyn says, with eyes squinting due to the sun

Dan breaks out a smile. "Yes, well...My friend Blair here asked me to be her plus one."

Blair smiles and introduces herself, but Caitlyn's attention quickly falls back to Humphrey. They laugh and giggle while reminiscing about the summer. Her brow's arch whenever Caitlyn's hand fall on Humphrey's arm. _The bitch sure likes to touch him_.

"Blair here is actually attending Columbia as well," Dan tells Caitlyn, trying to bring Blair into the conversation. His eyes then steer over to Nate. "I'll let you two chat…I need to talk to Nate about something."

Dan leaves Blair, hoping she can charm her way into St. Anthony's.

He approaches Nate, who is drinking from his champagne flute and his eyes are scanning over the women attending the party.

"Hey," Dan says

"What do you want," Nate asks coldly

"Alright…What's with the attitude?"

Nate huffs out a breath of disbelief and shakes his head. "Why am I not surprised you don't know the reason?"

Dan scratches his head, not having a clue as to where this is going.

"You made me into half of a character," Nate accuses, looking hurt. "I didn't realize I wasn't a big part of your life."

"No…That's not it. You just didn't fit in the story," Dan explains

"So you're saying I'm boring."

"You shouldn't take it as a bad thing…I didn't write you in as a character because you're normal." He then shifts his hand back and forth between him and Nate. "That's why we're such good friends…We don't have the same flaws the others do. If Dylan wasn't from Brooklyn, he wouldn't be in the novel either."

It takes some buttering up, but Nate gives in and begins warming up to him. Nate still doesn't have a clue on what's going on between him and Blair even though Nate has read _Inside_ and the fact that he just came to the party with Blair.

Unfortunately, Serena attends the party as well, leaving him in quite a pickle. Nate chooses a table and they sit with the girls. Every time he glances over to Serena, he receives a glare. Blair is rubbing his leg with her foot while Caitlyn's trying to grab his attention.

Caitlyn begins recruiting him for St. Anthony Hall. Of course he's interested in joining, it's is a literary society and was included in several of Fitzgerald's short stories. It would be a dream for any writer to become a member. His eyes shift over to Blair and she looks unreadable, but he remembers how she always comes second. It's like Serena all over again for her.

"The thing is, you guys are supposed to be a literary society, but I've heard you guys like to party a lot and aren't very helpful. In fact, I heard the English Department is more helpful," Dan tells Caitlyn

Caitlyn seems to be a little shaken by his remark. "Well of course we like to have fun, but the perks are insurmountable."

He shrugs his shoulders. "It's not for me, besides, I could never afford it."

Caitlyn looks down and smiles a little as disbelief is written all over her face. "Okay…If that's what you want." She slides the chair back and stands up. "Please keep this conversation between us…we don't like the things we've discussed getting out." Her eyes then move to Blair. "It was nice meeting you Blair. I hope to be seeing you around campus."

Caitlyn walks away and quietness creeps in at their table. The anticipation of Blair's reaction has him worried. One of Blair's biggest complexities was her insecurities and at times, it would lead her to push people away.

He leans in to where he can feel the heat coming from her neck, not caring what the others think. "You'll get in…You know that right?"

She turns her head and her lips curve into a smile, but it's more weak then strong. "Of course."

"You're the only reason they're even recruiting me. There's no _Inside_ without Claire Carlyle…and everyone who's read it knows that," Dan says

"Really," Blair asks sounding insecure but he knew she's clearly fishing for compliments

He reaches for her cheek, feeling her soft skin. "Yes… You are the heart and soul of my novel."

"Um…Why are you touching Blair's cheek," Nate questions with brows furrowed in confusion

He ignores Nate's question and the sound of Serena's teeth grinding because Blair's eyes are growing dark. She's staring at his lips, daring him to lean in.

Dan clears his throat.

"I have to go," Dan tells them before standing up and leaving

**XOXOXOXO**

Blair spent the summer waiting to have Dan on her bed. After leaving things up in the air for Nate and Serena to figure out, she took Dan back to her place.

At the moment, Dan's lying on top of her and kissing her, dress officially disheveled. She doesn't like being on the bottom and it's something he's going to have to learn but his lips are making it difficult for her to move.

Guilt is something she should be feeling at the moment. She has the love of her best friend's life causing her panties to dampen. At least it's what Serena believes. She on the other hand doesn't think Dan belongs to anyone, except maybe her.

He tears away from her insistent lips and she whimpers out a protest, leading him to arch a brow.

"Don't stop," Blair tells him

Dan leans his forehead against hers. "Zipper."

Her lips curve into a devilish smile and she rolls him over to be on top, straddling him. She begins unbuttoning his shirt and pressing kisses on his chest while he unzips her. She steps away off his lap, looking at a shirtless Dan, and wiggles out of her dress to stand in only bra and panties. She then goes back to his lap and begins pressing kisses from his bare stomach to bare chest, until she reaches his face where their eyes meet. She stops abruptly and lets him look at her. She would usually scold someone for staring so long, but she can't help but hold his gaze because the look he's giving her is filled with the four letters she doesn't want to think about because she doesn't want to go through that again.

_Expectations always lead to pain_

"I can't believe how beautiful you are," Dan says softly, not breaking eye contact.

She shuts her eyes and draws a deep breath through her nose, hands on his shoulder blades. Feeling his hand slowly slide to where it's needed most, her mouth begins to open.

As his hand reaches her panties, they hear Serena walking to her room outside Blair's door. Blair sighs and leans her forehead against his, realizing she needs to speak with Serena before they do anything.

"I have to talk to Serena," she tells him quietly

"Blair…I've been waiting all summer," Dan whines

"Just a little longer."

Dan pulls his head away and nods his head. She watches him button up his shirt and slide into his boots before giving her a goodbye kiss and leaving her to speak with Serena.

* * *

**Caitlyn will NOT be a love interest for Dan. I just felt the need to add OC to this story and she will only be a friend to Dan. **


End file.
